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376 inhabited vehicles of another civilization. Earth security would be extended to solar system security. Planetary defense can be seen as a rehearsal for direct contact. It pro- vides one model of preparing ourselves to deal with the exploring machines of a more advanced technology. Whether we could defend ourselves would depend on the relative capabilities of the two civilizations. Whether we would need to would depend on the intentions of the more powerful one. SETI conventional wisdom assumes that because we will be much less technologically advanced than any other civilization that we contact, we would be helpless if the extraterrestrials were hostile. This disparity may turn out to be true, but it remains unproven. To assume our weakness in advance would be preemptive capitulation. The social implications group proposed ways of informing educational institutions, the media, and the public about the search, although all were based on the remote contact scenario. These steps included listing “reli- able” SETI books for librarians, informing professional organizations of teachers, and establishing liaison with the entertainment industry.” The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, with its unique ability to provoke interest in science, already is used in school curricula. Materials prepared by the SETI Institute for primary and secondary schools (initially based on the Drake equation) have been supported by federal grants. Schenkel recommended that all colleges and universities include courses on the possibilities and potential benefits of encounters with other civiliza- tions.** He did not mention potential risks. A more balanced educational effort would have to address both. Annex: Preparing Educating Ourselves for Contact